Inside the Fire
by Asterisked
Summary: After Tetsuhiro receives news of Kunihiro's divorce, his anger and envy provoke Souichi to have an internal debate-just how does he feel for Tetsuhiro?


Hey guys, I deleted all of my Tyrant stories from a few years ago, and since I've been asked a few times to repost them, I felt bad and am uploading them back onto this site, although under a different name. Of course, at the time of first posting there had been less volumes out, so most of my stories take place between volumes six and eight, I believe. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

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"Morinaga! Bring me solvent B!" Souichi Tatsumi snapped, flinging an impatient arm out. He adjusted the microscope's focus with his other hand, and peered quickly into the lens. His specimen was deteriorating at an alarming rate..._where was that solvent? _Souichi's long blonde-brown hair flipped over his tense shoulder as he spun around to glare at his kouhai. "MORINAGA?"

The kouhai in question, Morinaga Tetsuhiro, was standing stiffly, his upper body bent over something in his hand. He was completely still. Souichi's stare bored into his back, and he wondered if Morinaga was even breathing. _What is it? What's he looking at?_

After several seconds of building curiosity and worry(his specimen in the petri dish completely forgotten), Souichi stood up, irritated, and grabbed Morinaga by the shoulder. Pulling Morinaga around to face him, Souichi began "Hey, y-"

The look on younger man's face stopped Souichi before he could even utter a single angry syllable. Morinaga's eyebrows were furrowed together, his eyes downcast and his lips were drawn together in a severe line. It was a strange mixture of pity, sadness, and..envy? Souichi looked down, and saw that Morinaga was clutching his cell phone, the screen displaying a short email. _What the hell?_ When Morinaga simply stood there, staring down at the floor, with that odd expression on his face, Souichi couldn't take it anymore. He reeled back and punched Morinaga in the face, sending his kouhai sprawling across the room.

Morinaga landed on the floor with a _thump_, and, bewildered, his eyes found Souichi. "Wh-what was_ that _for?"_ Good_, Souichi thought with satisfaction,_ that knocked him back to reality_.

He stomped over to where Morinaga lay shocked on the floor, his hand cupping his face tenderly. "A couple of reasons! One: you were ignoring me, and now my culture has DIED! And two: for that stupid look on your face!" The unexplored, dangerous part of Souichi told him that he didn`t like seeing Morinaga look that way, and his fist had just reacted to this feeling.

The dark haired man blinked, surprised. "I...I'm sorry, sempai. I wasn't trying to ignore you, it's just..." He glanced at his cell phone a few feet away, the screen against the floor, hidden.

Souichi stalked over to the cell and snatched it up. "What's so bad about this anyways? Someone die?" He peered at the screen.

_Tetsuhiro_, it read, _it's your brother. I have some bad news. Tomoko and I have decided to get a divorce. I know we have only been married for a short time, but I guess we just weren't meant for each other. I just thought you should know. -Kunihiro_

Souichi stared at the screen blankly. _That's it? That's what all this fuss was about? _

Morinaga had gotten to his feet by the time Souichi finished looking at the email, and stood sullenly a few feet away. "...Sempai, can I have my phone back? I need to send him my condolences." He held out his hand for the cell phone, but Souichi didn't give it back. He peered at Morinaga's face, and decided that his kouhai was still acting weirdly, despite the healing punch Souichi bestowed upon him.

"What's got you so bothered about this? So your jerk brother's getting a divorce, should you care?" Souichi huffed.

Something snapped in Morinaga's eyes at the other man's words, and he abruptly grabbed the phone out of Souichi's hand. His now furious eyes bored into Souichi's, his expression suddenly livid.

"Oh, I care. Why the hell wouldn't I? My brother gets married to the-" He did air-quotes "love of his life, and then divorces her after only a few months! I can't believe that he doesn't realize how lucky he was to be able to marry the person he loves, to be with them each day with everyone watching, to be theirs forever! What hope can I have to be with the one I love forever when even my straight brother couldn't even last a couple months with his love? A woman? I would give anything to marry-" He broke off, his voice hitching in his throat.

Souichi gaped at Morinaga. His kouhai seemed to deflate somewhat, his face growing less intense and more infinitely sad. _That's...what is there to say? Oh, I got it. _"What about Tomoe and Kurokawa? They're homos and they seem to be doing just _fine_." Souichi spat out the last word. _ Guh. Kurokawa_.

Morinaga looked at Souichi, his mood swinging in a different direction yet again. It transformed from desolate to incredulity in a split second.

"Sempai. You're being completely serious right now, aren't you?" He stated flatly.

_Huh?_ "Of course I am?"

Morinaga chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You've totally misunderstood me, Sempai. I'm saying that because my love is unrequited, and that I'm in love with a straight man, the odds of me being happy forever with him are so slim to none, it's pathetic. I mean, if my straight brother couldn't last in a normal relationship, there's no way that I can, right?"

"Wha...I..uh..." Souichi floundered, completely taken aback. _Oh, fuck. _

Seeing the hesitancy in Souichi's face, Morinaga laughed again, and it sent chills down Souichi's back. _This...this isn't Morinaga. What can I do? There's no way in hell I can give him what he's asking for. _Once again, the ignored part of Souichi stirred within himself, and inexplicably, it rose and denied his last thoughts. _What? No, I don't want to face this yet. _Souichi had been avoiding these kinds of thoughts since the very beginning, but, now no longer fearfully shoved into the shadows of Souichi's mind, this part of his consciousness rushed forward in a stream of intuition.

_**But you like it, what he does to you**_.

_No, no I don't! _

_**Yes, you do. You don't mind when he kisses you, when he caresses you, when he fucks you...**_

_Lies! It's all lies!_

_**In truth, the reason you haven't slept with a single woman in so long is-**_

_NO!_

_**You lo-**_

_NO! NO! Shut the hell up! It's not true!_

Souichi, half aware of what he was doing, heart pumping wildly, reached out with both arms and grabbed Morinaga's face.

"Sempa-" Morinaga said in irritation, but was interrupted by Souichi pulling his face close to his own, leaving only an inch between them. Even in his foul mood, the proximity of Souichi's lips made Morinaga's pulse increase in tempo.

His sempai's eyes were wide open, staring deep into Morinaga, yet at the same time staring through him. Souichi's thoughts were erratic, his common sense fighting furiously with his denied, unleashed truths. His lips quivered, and his breathing was hitched. Morinaga grew more and more uncomfortable as his sempai's breath washed over him through his delicious looking mouth. His skin getting hot, he tried to squirm out of Souichi's hands, but his sempai's grip on his face on grew stronger.

"Sempai!" Morinaga gasped. Despite how furious and empty he had felt seconds earlier, all Morinaga felt now was aroused. For the first time he cursed his easy body.

At the sound of Morinaga's strained voice, Souichi felt a deep pulse within his body, and before he even knew what he was doing, he had pulled Morinaga's mouth to his own. Their lips met fiercely, one man fueled by desire, the other by insecurity.

At the meeting of their lips, Souichi's inner battle came to a startling halt; his mind went blank with sweet relief. Autopilot took over,and his lips moved strongly against Morinaga's , demanding more. Morinaga obliged by slipping his tongue just slightly into Souichi's mouth, running it along the inside of Souichi's lower lip. Feeling him inside his mouth, Souichi opened his lips wider, and their tongues stroked each other greedily. Veins on fire, Morinaga ran his hands down Souichi's back, pulling him closer. Their bodies molded together unconsciously, their now equally cramped pants rubbing against each other.

Needing more, Morinaga let his lips escape Souichi's, and then brought them to Souichi's neck. His tongue snaked out and dragged up his sempai's skin, tasting his desire on his flesh.

"Ah!" As the cry of pleasure escaped Souichi's throat, a sharp realization dawned on him- he needed to get away. Now.

Gritting his teeth, he threw out his hands and pushed Morinaga away from his eager body. His skin felt naked and empty, but ignoring this and other urgent feelings, he wiped a hand across his mouth and took off running. He flew out the lab door, gasping, and ran. And ran.

xxxxx

Souichi sat on his bed, knees tucked securely to his chest. He rocked back and forth his on mattress, arms wrapped around his legs, mind darting back and forth between reality and the impossible. Unfortunately for him, recently the two had melded together, making life extremely difficult. He replayed his disgraceful actions in the lab over and over in his mind, wishing fervently he could take it all back. After impulsively grabbing Morinaga for what had been a very heated kiss, Souichi broke away from his kouhai and took off, running out the lab in a state of pure panic. He bolted clumsily down the hallway outside the labs until he reached the washroom, and once inside, locked himself inside a stall and sat. Souichi sat on the toilet seat in the stall for what was sure to have been hours. He refused to think about what had just happened, and instead concentrated on breathing properly until he was sure everyone in the building had gone home for the day. Morinaga had come into the washroom towards the end, calling for him. His heart pounding, Souichi lifted his feet and placed them on the lid so that Morinaga wouldn't see them on the floor of the stall. Morinaga heaved an annoyed sigh after seeing nobody in the washroom, and Souichi heard him open the door.

"Sempai, I know you're in here...where else where you go? Anyways...I'm heading back home now...you probably shouldn't stay too much longer, as the trains will stop soon. I-" Morinaga said hesitantly, and then seemingly changing his mind, left the washroom with a few quick steps. Souichi heard the door shut, and he replaced his feet back onto the floor. He stayed there for another half an hour, and exited the room when he reluctantly came to the same conclusion about the trains as Morinaga had.

When he arrived back to the apartment, Souichi stood rigidly outside their door, his hand floating above the doorknob. He just couldn't face Morinaga yet. Hoping to God that his kouhai was in the bathroom or something, he slowly turned the knob, and peered inside. He saw no one. Souichi tip toed inside the apartment, quietly closing the door behind him. He removed his shoes and, his courage failing him immensely, dashed as quickly to his room as physically possible, his bag smacking against his back. He slammed his bedroom door shut, signaling to Morinaga somewhere in the apartment that he was, in fact, home. Souichi locked the door, and collapsed on his bed, finally letting the torrential thoughts fill his mind.

He had been there ever since, eyes wide in disbelief. He...did he...love Morinaga? Despite all of his homophobic swagger, was he, in actuality, a homo? NO. It didn't seem quite right to label it that far. So where did that leave him?

He thought back to one of his and Morinaga's previous fuck sessions, where Morinaga has whispered gently to him that just because he liked what Morinaga did, it didn't make Souichi a homo. It was only because it was Morinaga. Souichi had heard the words from his kouhai at the time, but it didn't really sink in until this exact moment.

How long have I..? He had a hard time trying to pinpoint the exact time when he ...fell for Morinaga. The first date he could think of when he felt crushed when Morinaga wasn't around was when Morinaga took off the first time they screwed. Souichi had felt entirely alone and empty when his kouhai had disappeared, but he had written that off as missing his friend. It was friendly concern, and that was all. Souichi could see with bitter amusement that he had been completely delusional. He had even denied the fact that he enjoyed having sex with Morinaga, despite the many orgasms he had experienced in the man's arms.

Souichi found it amazing that he could have been so full of shit. But now... how can I face him? I mean, I may have stumbled across something big here, but...I still have my pride, for fuck's sake.

He loathed to think about Morinaga's smug expression when he found out. And Souichi knew there was no way in hell he could be all lovey-dovey with Morinaga out in public. He had decided he did love Morinaga, but that didn't make him the gooshy type. He was still Souichi, after all. He wouldn't dote on Morinaga even if he were a woman.

Ugh..that's assuming Morinaga will find out. Maybe I don't want him to. Maybe I'm good with him never finding out. He stopped that train of thought when he realized he was being a giant chicken. I am a man, dammit. I should grow some balls. I mean, eventually I'm going to want to...fuck..and there's no way I can ask for that without him figuring it out. If he hasn't already. Souichi shuddered as he remembered his actions from this afternoon.

Again, he was faced with the same question as before. Where does this leave me? I either have to tell him that I..love him...or he figures it out on his own when I start to beg for sex. Which is less humiliating?

A third option popped unexpectedly into his head. Or...I could tell him without words.

A blush crept up on Souichi's cheeks as he contemplated that last option. A glance at the clock told him it was eleven o'clock, and that Morinaga would be in bed. I could do it. I really could.

He swung his legs off of his bed, and crept to the bedroom door. Opening it, he peered out into the dark hall, making sure that Morinaga really was in bed. Otherwise, this would not work. He listened for a moment, and heard nothing. No creaking floorboards, no clanging in the kitchen, nothing. Okay, he's in his room at least...

Souichi stepped out into the hallway. Fixing his eyes on Morinaga's bedroom door, he envisioned what he was about to do, and nearly lost it. Am I really doing this? He gave himself a mental slap. Yes, yes I am. Get over there, you wuss.

He snuck up to Morinaga's door, and pressed his ear against it. If he listened carefully, he could just make out Morinaga's deep breathing as he slept, and the rustle of sheets as his kouhai rolled over. Souichi gulped, and door a deep, deep breath. I can do this.

Souichi rested his hand on the doorknob, and turned it. The door opened with a slight creak, and wincing, Souichi slid into the warm room, silently closing the door behind him. In the darkness, Souichi could only make out the shape of Morinaga bundled under the blankets, and judging by his consistent breathing, he hadn't woken up. Souichi heaved a sigh of relief, and slowly inched up to the bed, holding his hands out in front of him. When his toe nudged the bed frame, Souichi stopped moving. He stood over his blissfully unaware kouhai, and closed his eyes. Taking another nerve-steadying breath, he opened his eyes, then raised a hand and carefully lowered it until it landed lightly on something silky and soft. Morinaga's hair.

Souichi threaded his fingers in his kouhai's hair and slowly stroked downwards, brushing the treads away from Morinaga's cheek. Morinaga stirred and mumbled in his sleep, rolling over under his blankets until he was on his his back, his vulnerable face tilted to the ceiling. Souichi realized this might be more difficult than he thought. It had taken a lot just to reach out and touch Morinaga; to do what he had planned would require a massive effort.

He steadied himself, and clambered on top of Morinaga, ignoring his kouhai's gasp of surprise as he woke up and found Souichi trying to sit on him.

"S-sempai?!"

Souichi ignored him and placed himself so that he was sitting on top of Morinaga's hips, his legs on either side of the younger man's body. Souichi leaned forward, placing his hands on the mattress under him, until his face was a few inches away from Morinaga's.

"W-what's going on? What are you doing? Sempai? Sempai?! " Morinaga's hands floated in the air, unsure and wary. Despite his confusion, Souichi could feel his kouhai's face grow warm from where it rested underneath Souichi's. The older man felt a strange thrill in this strange control that he now held, and feeling warm himself, he closed the distance between their faces. Here goes nothing...

"Mmph!?" Morinaga made a noise of surprise when Souichi's lips attacked his, lust clear in their intention. He didn't respond right away, and merely lay there as Souichi kissed him, confusion the dominant feeling in his body. But this didn't last very long, as other feelings soon surfaced, and his lips started to move as well. Souichi tried not to get too excited in his triumph as Morinaga kissed him back-he had to remain focused so that he could get his message across. But it was proving to be harder than he anticipated. His body was responding to Morinaga's lips already, and he hadn't even been touched yet. Refusing to relinquish his control, Souichi slipped his tongue into Morinaga's mouth, running it along the inside of the younger man's lower lip. Morinaga let out a small groan, and his hands decided that they should be doing something as well. He raised them up and began to trace them up Souichi's back, and Souichi felt a twitch down south when Morinaga started to touch him. Souichi broke away from Morinaga's mouth, and batted away his kouhai's hands. No, I need to be the one doing the loving.

But of course he couldn't say that, so instead he grabbed Morinaga's hands and shoved them under his pillow, hoping the message would get across. Souichi quickly returned to his work with his lips, crushing them to Morinaga's. He raised his hands and dragged them down Morinaga's chest, and Morinaga let out another sound of surprise. Souichi's fingers were swift with the buttons on the dark haired man's pajama top, and soon Morinaga's smooth chest was exposed. Souichi feathered the skin with his fingers as their tongues danced slickly, both gasping for air while trying to devour each other at the same time. Morinaga groaned as Souichi massaged his pectorals, caressed down his stomach, and back up again. Souichi found himself thoroughly enjoying the feeling of Morinaga's skin under his hands; it was smooth, but strong, and the muscles underneath moved with each of Morinaga's laboured breaths. Souichi also found himself having a hard time breathing, and decided he needed a break from kissing. He broke their kiss, and pulled his tongue away from Morinaga's. Souichi paused in his services for a few moments, letting them both breathe. He wondered what was going on inside his kouhai's brain, what he was thinking about this entire thing. Although, he thought smugly, I know what a certain part of Morinaga thinks about it... Souichi could feel Morinaga's hardness directly under his ass, and teasing him, Souichi rubbed his butt over the engorged area. As smug as Souichi was feeling, he was also extremely aroused, and was feeling very cramped in his jeans. Despite his teasing, rubbing his ass over Morinaga's cock was also turning him on further.

Morinaga let out a strangled noise from his throat, and the sound sent a shiver throughout Souichi's body. He suddenly needed his skin on Morinaga's. Immediately. Souichi reached over his head and shrugged out of his shirt, his glasses pulled off with it. He didn't care. Morinaga watched, stunned and astounded, as Souichi stripped in front of him. He watched as Souichi ran his hands down his hips and pulled off his own pants, the material leaving his skin deliciously exposed. Souichi slid off his briefs and tossed them to the side, and entirely naked, he leaned over Morinaga and grabbed the man's pajama shirt. Understanding, Morinaga sat up and allowed Souichi to completely pull it off. When he had dropped it to the floor, Souichi reached down to Morinaga's waist, and tugged down his bottoms. Morinaga helped him, and soon enough the interfering article of clothing joined the rest on the floor.

Souichi sat on Morinaga's thighs, feeling their skin connect in a intimate way. He really wanted Morinaga's hands to touch him as well, but that wasn't for tonight. Souichi was the one giving the satisfaction now. He dragged his hands down Morinaga's torso, and the younger man groaned in pleasure. His hands continued to travel downward, until they approached the very area that Souichi had been teasing moments before. He hesitated. You can do this, Souichi. It's just a cock. Just...pretend it's yours. Do what you would do with yours.

Steeling himself, he continued to bring his fingers down until they slid up Morinaga's length. The other man gasped in surprise as Souichi wrapped his hand around it, and brought the hand up and down tightly, pumping it as he would his own. Morinaga's hands twitched besides him, gripping the sheets as waves of pleasure washed over him. He was about to lose it. He wasn't entirely sure what Souichi was trying to do to him, but he needed to touch the man on top of him with such ferocity that he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Ahh...I..uungh! Sempai..I'm sorry, I don't..AH! I can't sit back anymore..!" Morinaga managed to gasp between pumps of Souichi's hand, and sitting up, he reached out and touched Souichi's chest. As soon as his hand connected with his skin, Souichi lost his concentration, and drowned in the feeling of Morinaga's touch as the other man tweaked his nipple with one hand and stroked down Souichi's back with the other. Souichi's hand dropped uselessly on the bed as Morinaga quickly took control, sending heat everywhere throughout Souichi's body with his sly fingers. All Souichi could do was moan in frustration and ecstasy as Morinaga easily ruined his plan, his hands moving, his lips everywhere.

"Sempai...I..." Morinaga said into his ear, and Souichi now it was Souichi's turn to gasp as Morinaga's hand closed around his cock.

"M-Morinaga, you're not supposed t..." Souichi breathed, speaking for the first time since coming into the room. He was drowning again, and there was nothing he could do. This wasn't going as planned. He hoped to God that he had done enough, and that Morinaga got the picture.

"...I know." Morinaga said against his shoulder as he kissed down, his hand running down his sempai's backside until they approached the raised flesh of Souichi's rear. His fingers slipped easily between the cheeks, and a finger teased the entrance hidden between them. Souichi inhaled sharply, and raised his arms until they were around Morinaga's neck, his ass in the air. Morinaga slid the finger inside, stretching and flexing the warm opening. His other hand left Souichi's member and went around his body, joining the hand already there by holding open the cheeks. They were now in an extremely intimate hug of sorts, their chests sliding up and down each other with their thick breathing, Souichi's arms around Morinaga's neck, Morinaga's arms around Souichi's back. Their cocks rubbed against each other as Morinaga's fingers thrust in and out of Souichi, nudging that area in the older man and making him shudder and pant for more.

Souichi was now desperately ready for Morinaga, and hoping for at least one last demonstration of free will, grabbed Morinaga's arms and pulled them away from his ass. Morinaga growled in irritation, but Souichi knew it was temporary. He positioned himself above Morinaga's ass, and spread his cheeks. Just before letting him in, Souichi looked into Morinaga's face. Even in the darkness, Souichi could see him looking back, and with all of his feelings embedded in the act, Souichi lowered himself onto Morinaga. He felt Morinaga slide inside, and he shivered as Morinaga sighed. He sat there a few seconds, holding into the feeling of them simply being together. When he was ready for more, he placed his arms back around Morinaga's neck, and wrapped his legs around his waist. Morinaga's hands found Souichi's back, and he started to thrust.

Souichi came unwillingly as Morinaga hit his prostate with a swift thrust, both of their chests getting covered in come. Morinaga continued to pull in and out of Souichi, heat flaming throughout their bodies with each pump. They cried and gasped together, their sweat mingling and running unashamed down their bodies. When Morinaga finally came with a shudder, Souichi felt it inside of him, and for once didn't care. He hugged his kouhai to himself as tight as he could, and Morinaga did the same. They remained in that embrace for a while afterward, even after Morinaga had pulled out and they grew sleepy.

Even though he was sure by this point that Morinaga had gotten the picture, he had to be positive. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he mumbled "..Understand?"

He felt his kouhai chuckle sleepily, and Morinaga's fingers tenderly brushed across his cheek. "Yeah."


End file.
